Telephone-receiver



(No Model.) n vT. F. TAYLOR.

` TELEPHONE EEUEIVEE. No. 314.155. Patented Mar. 17, 1885.

INVENTOE coils.

UNITED STATES arnet r -rrica THEODORE F. TAYLOR, OF BROOKLYN, NEYV YORK;

TELEPHONE-RECEIVER.

.'JPSG-EGJLIOEI i'czming part of Letters Patent No. 314,155, dated March 17, 1885.

Application led January 3, 1884. (No model.) Patented in England February 5, 1884, No. 2,703; in France February 5, M84, No. 106,135; in Germany February 5, 1884; in Belgium February 15, 1884, No. 64.0.30, and in Cana la June 1G, 1384, N 19,531.

To all whom, it mffg/ concern:

` Be it known that I, THEoDoRn F. TAYLOR, a citizen of the United States, residing in Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Telephone-Receivers, of which the following is a specication.

VThe invention relates to the class of instru# ments employed for translating into corre sponding airvibrations or sound-waves the variations in the strength of an electric current which have been established through the agency of vocal or other sounds.

It is a well-known fact that electric currents when they are caused to traverse neighboring parallel conductors in the same direction ex crt upon each other an attractive force, and when in opposite directions a repulsive force, and the degree of force with which they so attract or repel is dependent upon the proximity of the conductors and the strengths of the currents. W'hen, therefore, the positions of the conductors are approximately constant, the variations in force may be considered as depending upon the variations' in strength. Parallel results are obtained when an electric current is caused to pass through a single elec# tric conductor in proximity to a continuation of itself. Upon this principle the invention is essentially based 5 and it consists generally in so disposing an electric conductor that different portions of its length are brought into proximity to each other, and a currentof electricity caused to traverse the same will pass and repassinapproximately parallel directions or in opposite directions through such different portions. Suitable means are provided for supporting such a conductor and forreceiving electric connections therewith, so that it may be conveniently included in a telephonie circuit. To this end the conductor is preferably arranged in the form of one or more flat spiral I am aware that a device has been made and described consisting of 'a helical coil of resilient wire, or what is commonly called a spiral spring, one end of which is attached to an iron diaphragm and the other end to a fixed support, and when under proper tension will operate as a telephonie instrument, the spring acting by compression or extension in the line of its axis 5 but my invention differs essentially from this, and in no way resembles it. Ih this device a diaphragm is necessaryvfor the production of sound, while a diaphragm is not a necessary part of my invention; In my receiver a quantity ot' tine insulated wire isV wound upon a flat or approximately dat sury face in a spiral, properly so called-that is, t-he curves are in one plane, or approximately so, the plane being at right angles to the axis-and this is what is intendedm to be understood by the term spiral or at spiral7 wherever they are used in this specification. The electric current is then caused to traverse the con'volutions of each coil in succession, and thus to exert upon itself an attractive or a repulsive force. This force will vary with the variations in the strength of the current. -The flat spiral coils, when more than one are employed, are preferably placed in planes parallel with each other, and they are preferably so connected with each other that a current of electricity traversing the same will pass in parallel or approximately parallel directions through the convolutions ofthe two or more spiral coils. The parts may, however, be organized to cause the currents to pass in opposite directions through the differentcoils, and it is not always necessary that the spiral coils be fiat, for they may be made convex or otherwise modified in form. The spiral coils are mounted upon any suitable supporting material, which may or may not serve to assist in establishing the acousticvibrations. Thus they may be secured upon the flat surfaces of resonant plates, such as are now commonly employed in telephonie receiversor they may be embedded in some glutinous material, such as varnish or shellac. Such an instrument will be found to respond readily `and very effectively to the variations in an electric current, which are produced by means of any convenient form ot' telephonie transmitter. It will be found, also, that a simple spiral coil of wire constructed upon this principle will produce a similar result, though of a less pronounced character. In either case acoustic vibrations will be established by the receiver which correspond to the vibrationsy whereby the changes in strength of current were primarily occasioned.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view, partly in section, of an inst-ru- IOO ment based upon the principle of this invenl ed toward eachother by reason of the attracttion; and Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse secion of the same. Figs. 3 and 4 are theoretical diagrams illustrating ditferent methods ot' connecting the coils with each other.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a suitable case, of hard rubber or other suitable material, for supporting the several parts of the instrument. This case may be constructed in the form ofa wide ring in two sections, c and c2, adapted to be screwed together, as shown, or they may be constructed in any other convenient form.

Within the case A are supported two plates, C and C2, which may be ofmetal, similar to the diaphragms usually employed in the wellknown forms of telephonesg or they may be constructed of paper, vulcanized ber, glass, wood, porcelain, or other suit-able resonant material. One ofthe plates, C', is preferably perforated at its center, as shown at j', for the purpose f more readily permitting the soundwaves to escape from the interior of the instrument. The plaies are separated a slight distance from each other by means of an intervening ring, c3, or by any other suitable means. Upon the confronting surfaces of the two dia-phragms are placed two flat spiral coils of wire, as shown at c and c", respectively. These coils are preferably secured to the plates by means of a thick varnish or other similar material, and they are connected with each other in such a manner that a current of electricity entering one terminal, d', will pass through the coils in succession and through the convolutious of the sainein parallel directions. The two terminals d and d2 are secured to suitable binding-posts, c and c2, by means of which electrical connections may be conveniently established with the same when the instrument is put in use.

The current employed for operating the instrument may be obtained in any of the usual manners. In practice it will be found convenient to employ some suitable form .of transmitter adapted to vary the strength of an electric current correlatively with the sound-waves embodying the words which it is desired to transmit.

In Figs. 3 and 4 two different methods of connecting the spiral coils are illustrated. Accordingto the plan illustrated in Fig. 3 the cu rrent iscaused to enter at the terminal d and to pass in the direction indicated bythe arrows i'rom the exterior to the interior convolution of the spiral coil c, the direction in each convolution being parallel to the direction in the neighboring convolutions. From the interior convolution the current passes through the connecting portion d3 to the outer convolution of the spiral coilcl, and in the direction indicated by the arrows through its several convolutions to the terminal d. It will be seen thus that the current is caused to traverse both conductors in parallel directions, and the two spiral coils will be attractive force exerted by the current upon itself in the several portions of the conductor. This attractive force is variable by reason of the variations in the strength of the current which are caused by the action of the transmitter. The variations in attractive force thus caused cause a vibration on the part of the receivinginstrument capable ofproducing sound-waves or sonorous vibrations 'corresponding to those by means of which the current-variations were originally occasioned.

l In Fig. 4 an organization is illustrated iu which the connections of the two spiral coils are so changed that the current is caused to traverse the same in oppositedirections. Thus the current from the interior convolution of the spiral coil c passes directly to the interior convolution of the spiral coil c2, and thence to its outer convolution. The relative directions are thus reversed. The operation of such an instrument is precisely similar to that described iii-connection with Fig. 3, with the cxception that the variations in the repulsive force of the twocurrents are here availed of, in so far as the two spirals may act upon each other instead of the like variations in the attractive force. The results obtained are, how ever, essentially the same in either case.

Having on January 7 and on January 29, 1884, filed other applications (Serial Nos. 116,624, 116,625, and 119, 089) for Letters Patent for certain' improvements in telephone-receivers, and having in those applications described certain features involved in this application, I do not herein claim` anyimprovements shown, described, and claimed in either of those applications and not speciically claimed herein.

I claim as my invention- 1. A telephonie receiving-instrnmcnt con-v sisting of an electric conductor formed into two confronting flat spirals situated in parallel planes, in combination with means, substantially such as described, for placing the same in circuit with a main line.

2. A telephonie receiver consisting in the combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, ofan electrical conductor formed into two confronting flat spirals situated in parallel planes and connected in series, and means, substantially such as described, for supporting the same in position.

3. A telephonic receiver consisting of an electric conductor formed into confronting tlat spiral coils situated in parallel planes and connected in series, in combination with means for supporting the same.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my naine this 2d day of January, A. I). 1884.

THEODORF F. TAYLOR.

Vitn esscs:

CARRrE E. DavrnsoN, CHARLES A. TERRY.V

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